Preamble: This story is a prequel to the Hokushin and Raizen prequel fancomic North Bound. It relates the Mirror of Darkness/Yata no Kagami incident mentioned in Ends of the Earth (Through a Glass, Darkly) and The enemy of my enemy is my coworker. It is written in a rough attempt at mimicking the style of Heian period court tales (in another language anyways).
This fic is actually an illustrated story. The full version (including large version of the cover thumbnail) can be seen on AO3 (search "maiji mirror most dark") or on tumblr (username maiji).
Long, long ago, in the ancient days of Japan, there was a noble lord of most august bearing. He was a handsome man with refined features, and one also in possession of a sharp and shrewd mind. He was further gifted with a degree of spiritual power and insight. But most importantly, he was an honourable and compassionate man who was well-loved by all who knew him.
This lord had a wife, a gentle lady of equal grace and loveliness whom he adored most dearly, and who returned his affections ten-thousandfold. She had borne him no children, but such was their love that still he prized her above all others, and she was always in his favour.
One day the lord returned from a trip to discover his household in a great panic. A number of events most strange to relate had taken place in his absence. It had begun innocuously enough with small thefts - odd but minor disappearances of food. This had gradually escalated to disappearances of several animals, followed by discoveries of bones picked clean. Most disturbingly, there were several instances of corpses found uncovered - bearing marks as if they had been fed upon briefly before being discarded. Even the most stoic of the lord's men could not be unaffected by the tales.
With his spiritual powers, the lord soon discerned that these happenings were not the work of any ordinary beast, but rather the doings of a youkai. But being a man of careful thought, he did not confirm this information aloud. He was not entirely certain that these activities were malicious in intent, for the disturbances seemed to speak more of opportunity and desperation. Regardless, the lord was concerned for his household, and instructed his servants to ensure all animals and stores of food were kept under close watch. He then set out careful traps designed to catch a hungry demon.
But the demon turned out to be clever and did not fall for such ruses, even managing to circumvent several to steal more food. The lord was both irritated and impressed. He was a canny man, however, and took it upon himself to continue the pursuit alone at odd hours of the day, even when the rest of his household had retired.
The lord's persistence was soon rewarded, and very late one night he found the demon and succeeded in trapping it in a section of his estate. He chased it until at last he had it cornered in a room surrounded by protective wards. And it was there that he got his first clear look at the creature who had disturbed the peace of his household.
Being a learned spiritualist, the lord knew more of demon lore than many, and he was surprised to identify the intruder as a particularly human-like demon, a long-necked rokurokubi. The main reason for his surprise was because such demons were commonly female, and this one had the semblance of a young man. The rokurokubi also appeared to be young for a demon, and inexperienced. He had however been most resourceful, and by that fact alone had managed to elude his human hunters. Even now, trapped in this room, the rokurokubi was still displaying remarkable ingenuity in evading the lord's weapons and talismans.
But it was truly not even a close contest, and being also greatly weakened by hunger, the exhausted demon was soon overpowered by the lord and found himself pinned against the floor, seals all about him and preventing his action.
Realizing all was lost, the rokurokubi withdrew his long neck. Thus resigned, he looked very human indeed. He made neither false bribes nor begged for his life. He simply said: "It seems it is the fate of some things to live a meaningless existence. I only wish my tale had become something worth telling to someone before it ended."
The lord was astonished by such eloquence coming from a pathetic creature who clearly had no learning, and was furthermore greatly moved by the demon's words. He did also like the human looks of the rokurokubi, whose striking features could still be distinguished despite his starving frame. And he was impressed by the cleverness that he had witnessed leading up to, and including, this night.
The lord thought to himself, It would truly be a shame for such a one to die without developing and putting such potential to a greater purpose.
So the lord said to the demon, "You have greatly troubled my household, but I will spare your life on one condition. I have no heir, and if you would serve me as your lord, I would treat you like my own son in all but blood and name, and teach you of the ways of the human court. Surely your life will become a tale worth telling, if you swear loyalty to me and to my family in the Buddha's name. If you agree, you must do this, and wear this seal, which will bind you to your oath." And he brought out a necklace of a single black magatama bead, and offered it to the demon.
Now the rokurokubi, who did not particularly wish to die, knew he had no choice. But he was also curious about humans, and most curious that a powerful lord such as this would choose to make such an offer, especially as he was not a strong demon and had no particular skill. He thought to himself, The life of a human is short. Who knows what can happen in that period of time?
And so the demon willingly took the seal, and tied the magatama around his neck, and he swore fealty to the human lord, and to the family of the human lord, in the Buddha's name.
In the morning, the lord explained away the strange disturbances as a wild beast he had driven off, and assured his household they would be troubled no longer. Indeed, days passed without further incident. Approximately one fortnight later, the lord introduced to the household the son of a distant forgotten relative who had passed.
The lord's busy estate was soon back to as it was before, with the exception of an increase of one in number, along with a newfangled foreign practice the lord had observed on his travels and decided to implement in his own home. The servants did find the lord's adoption of this ritual odd, but they believed in his spiritual insights, and dutifully drew blood at regular intervals of the month to ensure fortune and blessings. That aside, the lord also seemed even more open than before to finding and taking in anyone he found in the streets who were dying and beyond assistance, even bringing them home from his excursions, or offering his home to temporarily house the bodies of any recently dead for wrapping and preparation before they were to be buried. But he was truly such a good and generous man that they were all willing to overlook these idiosyncrasies for which any lesser man would have been easily mocked and spoken about in highly unflattering tones.
The human lord, as a man of great honour, was true to his every word. As promised, he trained the rokurokubi as one would intend for a most intimate retainer, and treated him like his dearest son. The rokurokubi, for his part, learned well the arts of the human court, and proved the human lord's suspicions correct, excelling at both martial and literary lessons. This combined with a natural comeliness and compelling gaze made him a most appealing and attractive figure within and without the household.
The human lord took true delight and pride at seeing the rokurokubi's growing education and skill, all the while keeping his demon nature unknown to the rest of the household, even to the lady of the house. And the rokurokubi came to love both the lord and his entire family and household, committing himself to his duty gladly. Indeed, several times the rokurokubi saved the lord and his men on the field of battle at great risk to himself, and also protected the lady and other members of the household from supernatural occurrences that they were blissfully unaware of. There were so many such accounts that I will spare you all the details, but know simply that the rokurokubi was devoted to the human lord and his family, and they likewise were exceedingly fond of him and saw him as a true member of the household.
The rokurokubi soon matched the learning of the human lord closer than any other in the household, and the two of them enjoyed long, thoughtful conversations late into many evenings on all manner of topics. Pleased with the rokurokubi's progress, the lord brought him as a companion on various trips to the imperial court, where the latter was much dazzled by the splendour of the palace and amazed that a mere demon such as himself would have the opportunity to stand in such a place.
It was on several such trips that the rokurokubi met both the Emperor, a man with clear and wise eyes who cut a figure as stately and august as one would expect of his position, and also the Emperor's onmyouji. The latter was a sorcerer, said to be a diviner of great skill. He was a man of tall and imposing stature with a physical strength one would not have expected from a student of the mystic arts. He wore a long embroidered robe emblazoned with a unicorn racing through clouds, and he carried himself in the manner of one with quiet self-assurance. His features were naturally severe and gave him a generally intimidating impression, though his manner was genial enough.
The rokurokubi was a little nervous about their initial encounter, worried that the onmyouji might discover the secret of his true nature. But his lord had taught him well and he did not give away his nervousness, conducting himself perfectly in the manner of a well-educated retainer. The onmyouji, for his part, subtly watched the retainer for a long time, but if he suspected anything, said not a word. Neither did the onmyouji say anything beyond greetings and other pleasantries on subsequent meetings.
Once, when they were well on their way home after another trip, the retainer asked his lord about this. The lord chuckled and said, "I suspect the onmyouji is not the skilled diviner he proposes himself to be. But he does well enough, and the advice I have heard him give to the Emperor is well-measured and worthwhile."
When the retainer heard this, he was most relieved, and was no longer nervous on their trips to the palace. With regards to the onmyouji specifically, in any case. Due to his appearance and talents the retainer did receive poetry from various young ladies at court, and was at times at a loss as to how to respond. Outside of his household he was very much aware of the distinction of his nature, and thus wary in his relationships. Fortunately, with the tactful coaching of his lord, he was able to craft replies that somehow delicately skirted the implications of most messages without causing significant offense to anyone. That said, despite his intentions he did become relatively close to at least one or two of the writers involved, but I shall not spend further time on these relationships, for they are not the focus of this tale.
Then one day the happy news broke: the beloved lady of the house was with child. All were overwhelmed with joy at the prospect. The retainer bore no ill will at all at the thought of being displaced by a true heir, and indeed prayed to the Buddha alongside the rest of the household for a safe birth and a healthy child to carry on his lord's name.
When the child was born and revealed to be a healthy son, all rejoiced. The beautiful infant immediately became the beloved treasure not only of his parents', but of every member of the household as well. The retainer thought: How wonderful it is that my lord at last has a child to carry on his honourable name, and I may continue to serve his family past his death. It did not even occur to him to be concerned at the fact that no others were aware of his demon nature, for such was his confidence in his lord at being able to take care of all things.
That was when the first terrible thing happened.
The lady of the house, though she had delivered the child safely, never regained her strength. She remained frail and ill following her labours, and passed away less than a month after the birth. Even at her death, though her condition had deteriorated terribly, she remained quite lucid, holding onto the hands of both the lord and the retainer. She said to them, in words that could barely be heard: "I love you all beyond words, and cannot bear the thought of parting. It is my dearest wish and hope that you all live happily." They brought her infant son to her, and she touched his face before falling asleep, and her breath ceased soon after. Both the lord and the retainer, and indeed the entire household, shed countless tears at the death of so lovely and gentle a lady.
The lord was overcome with sorrow, and though he remained very much the lord of the household, he never fully recovered from the loss of his beloved. Indeed his personality was but a shade of his former self. Instead he turned all his attention to his work, and as for his son, the lord treated him as a precious jewel that could be broken at the slightest uncomfortable handling, for the child reminded him so of his lady.
The retainer feared this treatment unhealthy, and tried a number of times to caution his lord against it. At first his comments seemed to be acknowledged, but gradually they were brushed aside with an uncharacteristic coldness. As the retainer was still very much in awe of his lord, he could not think what else to say or do, and was saddened at this change. He was also disheartened to find that their late conversations grew first shorter, and then more infrequent.
At this time, the retainer still regularly accompanied his lord on trips to the palace. It was on such an outing after the death of the lady that the lord learned of the existence of an astounding artifact in possession of the Emperor. It was a knowledge that seemed to stir something within the lord, for out of the blue he mentioned this information to the retainer, almost as if he could not contain it, and then said no more. The retainer, who yearned for conversation with his master such as they used to have, paid careful attention to every word. And thus he committed to memory every detail of the artifact. It was said to be a mirror with eight sides, with a surface of bronze so polished it could reflect the truth within the viewer's heart. Then the lord said no more, seeming to be lost in thought and yearning for more knowledge of this mysterious object.
The retainer was most curious, and he wondered who else would have knowledge of this mirror. The idea came upon him that perhaps, of all people, the onmyouji would know, for this was an artifact of uncommon power and the onmyouji would surely be the keeper of all such things to the Emperor, or at least in awareness of such a thing.
The retainer, though he had long since lost his nervousness around the onmyouji, was cautious, for he had never exchanged much more with the man beyond mere pleasantries. And thus it was that on one visit, when his lord was otherwise occupied and had others more appropriate to accompany him at the purpose for which he was detained, the retainer found himself wandering the palace grounds alone, thinking of how to approach the onmyouji. He was most concerned with how to do so in a way that would not draw suspicion against his lord, for he knew not the details of the mirror and what was appropriate or not appropriate to know in relation to this matter. It was not seemly, and indeed potentially dangerous, to be seen as coveting a possession of the Emperor.
The retainer pondered all these things while looking into the reflection of the waters of the imperial garden. He was so deep in this consideration that he did not notice he was no longer alone until his thoughts were interrupted by an intruder:
"Forgive me for my rudeness, but you seem to be lost, though you have been here many times before."
Startled, the retainer very nearly fell into the pond. The speaker, who turned out to be the onmyouji, appeared greatly amused by the retainer's reaction.
The retainer, when he had regained his footing, sheepishly replied: "Fortunately, I was lost only in thought. I am waiting on my lord to complete other business, and I myself have no other matters to attend to."
"It is a most agreeable day," said the onmyouji, "and if it may please you, let us go for a stroll in the garden together, and hopefully with the two of us, neither will become lost."
Not having a particular excuse to turn down the invitation, and also bearing in mind the inquiry that he had hoped to take to the onmyouji, the retainer readily agreed.
The gardens were large, so they walked for quite a while, and the retainer was surprised to discover that the onmyouji, beyond mere pleasantries, had quite an appetite for conversation, and more than that, that they were of similar minds on many things. Indeed the retainer regretted he had not realized this earlier, for he found himself thoroughly enjoying their talk. It reminded him of of the discussions he used to partake in with his lord. It was sad that his lord no longer seemed to have the inclination for such dialogue, but this was a small thing in the misfortune that had occurred in his lord's life. Living was a complex matter, and there was no one thing that could be simply done. As silly as it was, he wished at times for a sort of incantation or charm that one could invoke to change such a complicated matter easily. Without thinking, the retainer had said these things out loud, such was the comfortable level of their dialogue.
"Actually," said the onmyouji conversationally, as if he were speaking of the weather, "There is such a thing in the world. It is called Yata no Kagami, the Eight-Hand Mirror. Its reflection is a truth guided by the wisdom of the viewer's heart. Whatever the viewer desires the most will appear upon its surface. And the mirror will present the viewer with the opportunity to turn that desire into reality."
The retainer was astonished, both at the information itself as well as the fact that it was what he had been seeking. Quickly he said: "If such a wondrous thing exists, why does no one speak of it?"
The onmyouji replied, "First of all, it is under the protection of the Emperor, and second of all it is not knowledge commonly shared, for it is not as wondrous of a thing as it sounds. The mind creates a desire, which is a true desire, but the thing that is desired is itself an illusion, for it does not exist. Turning an illusion into reality is an act which requires a great deal of energy. The complete energy of a human life, for instance. As you may imagine, this is not a particularly pleasant exchange, and such action greatly pollutes one's karma and one's prospects in future incarnations. And even without actually using the mirror, you can imagine such obsessions that can cause enough troubles on their own. I could tell you many stories of the tragedies that have resulted." And he related some of the tales, which were indeed great tragedies far beyond what the initial implications of the original desire would have begun to suggest.
"I cannot imagine why anyone would want such a thing," the retainer replied, repelled. And then he paused, and said in confusion: "You said such knowledge is not commonly shared. Why do you freely give me this information?"
The onmyouji replied, "I freely give you this information because, in my observations of you, I believe this knowledge will not influence you to seek it out and use it, in fact very much the opposite."
The retainer replied, "I should think that the information you have given me would cause no one to want to seek it out and use it."
The onmyouji laughed loudly, and said: "It is charming that you should think that, but not everyone is of such a disposition. Even among those who may speak as you do, there are many unlike us who cannot face the truth - that when given the opportunity to be weak and greedy, they will reach out and pluck it like a ripened fruit."
And then the retainer heard the calling of his name, and he stopped and turned for he recognized it as the voice of his lord, who had completed the other business he had been attending to. And with that he bid the onmyouji a good day and gratitude for the time they had spent together, before returning to his lord.
After the conversation with the onmyouji in the garden, the retainer sought an appropriate opportunity to bring his knowledge to his lord. But there was none, for the lord had begun spending all of his spare time in his chambers, shut away from the presence of all others, even from the retainer and from his own son. The talks they used to have ceased completely. And in any case, should the topic have come up, the only thing the retainer would have said is that the mirror was a thing to be avoided at all costs, and it was not a subject that easily made its way into everyday conversation.
Then a long while after that, there came a night when the lord of the house was called away to some urgent business. He left in a hurry and did not take the retainer with him. During this absence, the retainer went into his lord's chamber, wandering through it like a lonely child, reacquainting himself with its interior and remembering fondly the words they used to share.
And it was then that he came upon his lord's writing table, and saw that it was covered with papers. He could not help but be curious at what had thus occupied his lord's attention. He had a strong misgiving about peeping into matters his lord had clearly intended to keep private, but at the same time he felt another sense deep inside that was equally powerful, if not more, one that told him these were unusual circumstances, that something was awry, and that his concern for the well-being of his lord warranted such a breach.
The retainer sifted through the papers, and found that the documents had been written obscurely, with an intent to withhold their contents from such prying eyes. But because of his learning, he was able to decipher them. He perused them and quickly realized they were details of the plans of the castle, and of the location of a mirror with eight sides, and of how to obtain it discretely. The plans were unfinished, for the author was still seeking a way to unlock access to certain passages requiring the simultaneous triggering of multiple mechanisms. The writer of the documents had cleverly deduced ways to reduce the number of persons involved to two, but was still attempting to ascertain a way to further reduce that number to one.
Alarmed, the retainer turned the leaves of the writings one after another, looking for anything that resembled any sort of explanation as to why his lord would have made such documents, any other explanation but the one that he feared the most.
And it was at the very bottom of the papers, touching the surface of the desk, that he found a letter. It was a very old letter, one that had been folded and unfolded many times. It bore only the faintest trace of fragrance that it had long ago been perfumed with, a ghost of a scent that only a demon such as he could detect. On the letter was a poem written in a delicate, lovely hand, and one he recognized as belonging to the departed lady of the house.
And it was then that the retainer heard the sound of the door sliding open and closed behind him.
With the letter in his hand and a terrible sinking feeling within him, the retainer turned and fully met the eyes of his lord. The gaze he saw therein burned with wrath, but also contained a frightening deadness to them.
Aghast, the retainer held the letter up and said: "My lord, you must not do this. This mirror is not a thing to be trifled with. It reflects only an illusion, and there is no illusion in this world that can be worth the price you would pay."
The retainer had barely finished speaking his last syllable when the lord let out an inhuman cry of rage, and struck the retainer across the face with such a force that the letter was dropped to the ground. And the lord began to beat the retainer with a great fury.
At this point, many years had passed and the lord was a much older man, and in strength he was now most certainly the weaker of the two. But the retainer did not return a single strike, and only folded down to the ground, finding and shielding the letter so that it would not be damaged. In between the blows he only pleaded repeatedly with his lord to reconsider.
The beating seemed endless, but at last the fire fueling the lord's wrath petered out, and at the loss of his energy the lord came to himself, his breathing in laboured gasps. When he saw the bloodied face of his retainer looking up at him with great concern, he fell to his knees and began to weep bitterly in true remorse. The retainer wept as well to see his lord in such a strait, and held him until his lord had calmed himself enough to speak.
The lord promised the retainer that he would not fall to the temptation of the mirror. And so speaking, he rose and swept the papers from his desk and took the retainer with him to the nearby fields, where he destroyed the plans, setting them afire. The two of them watched the papers burn in the flames, their edges blackening, curling and melting away into smoke, until the papers were gone and the fire too had died away, and there was only darkness all around them.
The days that came were long and difficult, but the lord and his retainer began to have their conversations again. They were no longer as lightsome as they had been years ago, and were sprinkled with halts and pauses and moments of silence. But there was a kind of peaceful stillness in the silences, where the two parties were both fully present, and the retainer was simply overjoyed that this dialogue existed once more.
Time passed and the seasons changed repeatedly. Though the lord never again spoke of the mirror, and was true to his vow to never fall to its temptation, it presented itself in his mind whenever his gaze fell upon a reflection. He seemed to live quietly between a struggle against the tantalizing promise of the mirror and the knowledge that it was a thing not to be done. The lord eventually fell ill. Despite the efforts of his household, and the most learned of doctors they could procure, and the rare medicines and remedies the retainer sought out at their instruction, he did not improve. Finally one day the retainer and the son were both called to his side.
"You were much too young to remember this," he said to his son, "But I, and my dear retainer, remember well the parting words of your mother. I repeat them to both of you: it is my dearest wish and my hope that you all live happily."
The lord turned weakly to the retainer, to speak to him final words, and the lord said: "My beloved retainer, you have served me most loyally for many years and my gratitude knows no bounds. I know you will continue to do so for my family for many years to come. I ask that you keep no truth from my cherished son, and to care for him as you have for me." The retainer, with tears on his face, promised he would do so, and indeed even without the memory of the oath he had made and the seal he wore around his neck, the retainer did in truth love the young lord like a brother, and perhaps even like a father too, for he had watched the young man grow up from a mere infant.
And then the lord turned to his son to speak to him final words.
And that was the second terrible thing: that the lord had waited too long to tell the son the truth.
At his father's deathbed, when the son came to know the nature of the family's closest retainer, he had no training in any spiritual matters. To his credit, he had not grown into a selfish, spoiled young man, but neither was he a man who bore any particular strength of will, confidence or insight. He seemed to take the news as well as he could, but the lateness and nature of the information being revealed to him was a shock. And doubt began to grow quietly in his heart.
The young lord continued the practice of drawing blood in the household at regular times of the month. But he recoiled at the thought of continuing to bring the dying into his home. The servants had not particularly cared for it either; indeed, the retainer was the only one to express concern.
When the two of them were alone, the retainer said to the young lord: "My lord, I fear I cannot subside on blood alone. Without flesh I will surely perish. Indeed I can feel myself growing weaker by the day."
The young lord felt badly to hear this, but he was also afraid, knowing that he was conversing with a demon. Though the young lord had known the retainer since he was a child, the former lord had not given many of the servants much opportunity to engage closely with his son while he was growing up, and to further complicate matters the young lord had heard much more fearful gossip about demons from those without spiritual prowess than from his own father. Granted such gossip was hardly unfounded, which did little to help the matter. But the fact that the retainer was familiar to him, and the retainer's kind manner and deference, was what gave him courage to strengthen his resolve.
The young lord thought, I must keep the safety and well-being of my family as my greatest concern. This demon has lived with my family for many years on account of my father, but my father has passed from this world, and we are not truly related. And so he said:
"For you to seek the assistance of humans in acquiring human flesh is beyond the terms of your agreement with my family. You have served us for a long time but in truth my father was very generous with you, and we cannot afford to keep this up in the way he had. The times are changing and people will now talk even more if they see such things taking place. This will open us up to the danger of all sorts of accusations. Though it is not without risk to us, we will continue to provide you with blood for this can be done within the household. As for anything else, you must seek it yourself."
The retainer was saddened to hear this, but he could find no disagreement with the young lord's words, as the concerns were valid, and so he did as he was commanded. He sought out the dying himself, and did his best to bring them comfort before they passed, and afterwards ensured their remains were buried with the appropriate rites.
Over time, the household began to fall into disrepair, in name as well as state. Though the young lord was in truth a good person with perfectly competent servants, indeed at least one who was supernaturally so, he was not a clever judge and did not always make the clearest decisions, and he worried incessantly about the opinions of others. He was, after all, still quite young, and uncertain of himself. While he was aware of his shortcomings, he feared revealing them to others and burdening them with his weakness, and was thus incapable of placing trust in his retainers to act effectively on his behalf.
With the words of his former master in mind, the loyal retainer faithfully answered all things as truthfully as he had with the former lord. But the new lord had neither the insight nor the skill to use any such information wisely. The retainer did his best to provide counsel, but found that his relationship with the young lord was very different from the one he had with his departed master.
One day the young lord said to the retainer, "You are a demon, and you have not aged a day since my father brought you into my household. I have heard it said amongst our own servants, and outside people are surely talking as well. You must cover your face, and minimize any opportunities for speaking, and you are not to leave the house unless you have been granted my permission."
Again, though this saddened the retainer, he knew it to be true that he looked barely a day older than the day he was brought into the household. The young lord's concern did not seem unreasonable. So the retainer covered his face and they came up with the story of an ongoing malady, and he no longer accompanied the young lord, nor any members of the household. And soon aside from the young lord, the retainer seemed to have been forgotten by the outside world. This would have been more bearable if the retainer could still continue conversations with his current master, but with his face covered and his silent presence, it only reminded the young lord more than ever that his retainer was not human. They conversed even less than before, the distance only growing between them.
Then the third terrible thing happened. It began in the form of a competing young lord, a dashing and intelligent man whose main flaw was that he was perhaps a little thoughtless with those he did not consider his equal and did not fully consider the consequences for others. This lord looked down upon the young lord whom the retainer served, and his words and actions at the imperial court created doubt for the favour of the the family.
The young lord was much troubled and at a loss as to what to do, and in private conversations, various members of the household had little helpful suggestions to offer, and only wished this other lord could disappear. As a result of these discussions, it came into the mind of the young lord that he had indeed a demon at his disposal who could take care of such matters. He went to the retainer in private, and said to him:
"You are a loyal retainer of our family. I tell you, you must take care of this man, so that he may not trouble our household again."
The retainer was greatly disturbed, for the former lord had never made such a request of him. He protested, saying:
"Such a thing that you are asking me to do, this is against the teachings of your father. It is a grave sin and the type of action that once done, cannot be undone. I implore you to reconsider. Perhaps speak to the other man, and find commonalities, for he may come to be a help instead of a hindrance. I would gladly assist you in this."
At this the young lord, who was already in an unsettled state at his powerlessness, became visibly agitated at what he perceived as a lack of support. The fact that the retainer was eloquent and earnest only made him more upset at his own shortcomings, and his lack of ability to articulate his fears. He said angrily, "You are a demon, what can you possibly know of human sins? And as for my father, such an action would help clear a path to restore our family to what it had been when he was alive. Such an individual can have nothing in common with us. I command you to do this thing, and rid us of this man, if you call yourself a loyal servant of my father and to our household." And he left the room most upset.
And upon these words being spoken, the magatama the retainer wore, which had been given to him by the departed lord, suddenly became unbearably hot in a way it never had when the former lord had been alive. The entire necklace burned invisibly with a supernatural power, and such was the pain that the retainer could not speak, and he found he could not remove it, and was compelled to do the bidding of the young lord against his own wishes.
And so the retainer went, and with the skill and cunning he had learned from the departed lord, and through his own abilities as a rokurokubi, lured the competing lord from his house and killed him.
After doing the evil deed, the retainer returned home and found his master. "I have done the thing that you have asked me to do," he reported, bowing deeply at the feet of his young lord.
At the news, the young lord felt a sinking horror. He did not know about the seal, much less how it had burned, and he had not truly believed that the retainer would do it, for he had spoken in a fit of emotion. Now he was overcome with a terror so great that it overwhelmed any relief or delight even a truly wicked man would have felt.
"Now you have done this thing," exclaimed the young lord, "And what would become of us should they know this was caused by our household?"
For the first time in his life, the retainer felt a great anger at the young lord at what his reckless words had caused. But he saw the expression on the young lord's face, and the fear in his eyes, and he was moved for he still thought of the other man as a dear brother, or even like a son. The retainer knew what was done was done, and so he kept his voice calm so as not to frighten the young lord further. He replied: "When I had done the deed, I was careful to ensure that it would seem as though it were an unfortunate accident. No one will be able to trace it to our household."
"So you have said, and so we shall see." So saying, the young lord left, distraught, and he did not sleep. And the retainer wept, and also did not sleep, for he knew that this was a door that, once opened, could not be easily closed.
Sure enough, time passed and no aspect of the incident could be traced back to the young lord or his family. Indeed, no one expressed nor even suspected such a thing. The retainer had done, and I beg forgiveness to use such a word to describe so terrible a deed, superb work in this matter. It was to a great misfortune that the retainer had done his duty so well, for once the young lord saw this, a strange boldness began to creep upon him. It was a boldness not of learnings and skill acquired from discipline, but a false confidence secured by the realization that he had a demon who would do his every bidding.
Another similar situation soon emerged, and instead of employing tact or strategy to deal with such matters, the young lord could only think how easy and quick it had been the time before to rid his household of its troubles. With the first door open, each door following became easier and easier to pass through. And the young lord grew in his boldness, and he would not listen to any pleas from the retainer, apart from such cautions as to when or how would be the best manner in which to dispatch of the unwanted individual so that no suspicion could be placed on the young lord or his family, though each time the difficulty grew. Indeed there were those who began to harbour suspicions, but they had little evidence, and all seemed most uncanny coincidences.
As the young lord and his household grew in favour, the retainer grew in misery. He no longer had to worry about sustenance, but it was at a great cost.
Then the fourth terrible thing happened. In his new higher position, the young lord heard a story of Yata no Kagami.
At first the young lord was most skeptical that such a thing could exist. He went to the retainer and asked, "What do you know of the mirror that can grant desires?"
The retainer felt a great chill down his spine at the question, but he was compelled to answer and tell all that he knew.
Despite eliminating a number of the competition, the young lord was not so shrewd and his rise in standing was hardly as quick as he would have liked. As he listened in fascination to the retainer's words, the notion came into his head that such a mirror could be used to to take his family's name and honour to a glory beyond even what his father had been able to achieve. This idea grew in the young lord's mind until he became obsessed with it, with even the idea of displacing the Emperor himself. And so he commanded the retainer to fetch the mirror for him.
Even without knowing what the young lord had in mind, the retainer was greatly disturbed, and wept and protested to no avail even as the necklace burned deep into his flesh. The young lord refused to change his mind, and the retainer could only do what he had sworn to do in the Buddha's name and what the seal on his neck compelled him to do: to serve with complete blind loyalty.
The retainer travelled to the palace alone, and waited till it was late at night, and used all his knowledge and cunning to enter discretely. Many times he stopped and attempted to turn back, but each time the seal would burn terribly, and he would be compelled to go forward. And though he wished fervently to fail in his task, he could not, for from that night in his lord's chamber, he knew the plans of the castle, and the location of the mirror, and the way to trigger the mechanisms that required more than one person. Being a rokurokubi, such designs were no obstruction at all, for he was able to easily stretch his limbs to reach and manipulate tools at distances impossible for a mere human.
At last he retrieved the mirror and brought it back to his lord, who was filled with immense delight. The young lord took the mirror and gazed upon it in awe, and said without looking at the retainer, "You have done our family a great duty. Truly, it was for this purpose that my father brought you into our household." And the retainer said nothing, for the seal had burned so many times that he was still unable to speak, and indeed the fire had seared his entire body invisibly to such degree that the simplest movements were painful and difficult.
The young lord wiped the mirror with his sleeve and looked directly into the centre. The surface suddenly brightened with an unnatural light. In the centre of the polished metal, both the retainer and the young lord were amazed to see an image, flickering faintly at first like the flame of a candle, but quickly becoming more vivid. It was a moving, living image of the young lord, dressed richly as an emperor, and the human members of the household smiling, going about their business in the courts of the imperial palace.
And then they heard a voice speak. There was no sound as the voice existed only in their minds, but it was as clear as if they were hearing it in the very air around them.
I am Yata no Kagami, the Eight-Hand Mirror, said the voice. I reflect the truth, even if it is in darkness. As the words echoed in their minds, the image glowed even brighter, until it seemed as if they were merely looking through a window, and could reach through it to touch the clothing of the people, the wood of the buildings, the stone and metal of the statues. This image you see before you, your family name as the name of the Emperor, and your household in the imperial palace: Is this what you desire the most?
The young lord leaned forward eagerly, as if in a trance. "Yes, yes, it is," he replied. The retainer only looked on silently, in wonder and horror.
The mirror spoke again. To make such a vision possible, I require living energy. A life for a life.
The young lord was silent, and then he slowly turned his head and looked at the retainer. The retainer saw the expression in his young lord's eyes, and he understood. He remembered many years ago, when he had not particularly wished to die and had taken the seal and tied it around his neck. Now the only thing he wished for was an end to this nightmare. He got up, slowly only because it was difficult for him to move from his earlier exertions.
Then the mirror spoke again. No. For the vision that you desire, the life of this one rokurokubi is hardly enough.
The young lord said, "Then whose life will be enough? Surely it makes no sense that my life or the lives of my household be sacrificed to achieve my vision?"
The mirror replied: You are correct in that this will require multiple lives. First of these must be that of the Emperor himself. They must be brought to my presence, and their lives given and named to this cause.
The young lord paused, deep in thought. Surely, thought the retainer, such an outrageous demand will cause my lord to reconsider. But his hopes were dashed and broken when the young lord turned to him, eyes mad with this vision that was so close to him, and said, "I command you to take the mirror and go to the palace, and kill the Emperor, and any others you find there, in such a way that their deaths will be enough to fulfill this vision for the name of my family and my household."
The retainer rose to his feet with a great pain searing both his body and his heart. But he travelled once again along the route to the imperial palace, and once again waited for night to fall. And once again he crossed the threshold into the castle, and with his deep knowledge of the interior, made his way towards the Emperor's chambers. Several times he neared an innocent - a guard at his post, or a serving girl who had not been able to sleep - and the chains of the seal pushed him towards them to feed the mirror, but he wrestled with them, and the guard and the serving girl were none the wiser as to the demon that had passed them by.
As he neared the Emperor's quarters, each step of the journey was pure agony, as if his very flesh were on fire, for every inch of his body and mind was fighting against the commandment of the seal.
At last the pain was too much for him, and it took over his consciousness. He collapsed against the wall in the hallway of the palace, and knew nothing but nothingness.
When the retainer awoke, he found himself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. A curtain surrounded the bed, shielding him from the sight of the chamber he was in. It was calm and still save for a quiet, periodic rustling sound, like that of a brush against paper. He was very much confused.
As the retainer lay there sorting through his confusion, he was surprised to discover that, though his entire body ached through to the marrow of his bones with a great stiffness, the unbearable pain had disappeared. The recent events of his memory certainly seemed to him like a nightmare that has gone away with the rising of the sun.
Gingerly he sat up and, ignoring the ache in his bones, reached out to part the curtain and peek his head out. He was greeted by a voice:
"There is no need to explain yourself. I know exactly what has transpired."
The retainer's disorientation only grew upon seeing the onmyouji whom he had spoken with all those years ago, dressed in his unicorn robe, calmly practicing calligraphy at a table across from him. On the table, propped against the wall, was the mirror, with a light cloth draped over its face.
The onmyouji neither looked up nor paused in his brushwork, and said: "It was my task to stop you before you succeeded in crossing the hallway to the Emperor's quarters, but you very kindly accomplished it yourself. Indeed I believe the battle you had instead may very well have been the more difficult of the two options. I am surprised you are still alive."
"Where am I?" the retainer asked, and he was surprised to hear his own voice, raspy with disuse, and to realize that he could speak. He touched a hand to his neck and found the magatama was still there, but it merely lay against his flesh like a cold stone.
"This is a private chamber of the imperial palace," replied the onmyouji.
Thinking of his young lord, the retainer asked, "How long have I been here?"
And the onmyouji answered, "You have slept for three days now. I am exceedingly happy you have awoken at last, for indeed the Emperor believes we must still be engaged in mortal combat, and here I have been doing nothing but copying poetry."
The retainer looked at the onmyouji, and the onmyouji smiled, but did not look up nor interrupt his writing. "You may relax," the onmyouji said, "for the seal exerts no more power over you. Though you may not be gladdened to know the reason why."
The rokurokubi was immediately cautious, and asked suspiciously, "What do you know of this seal?"
The onmyouji paused in his writing and finally looked over at the rokurokubi. "You need not worry about revealing things I already know," he replied. "I sense we are in similar situations. The reason I can easily discern your nature is because I, too, am a demon."
The rokurokubi was quite stunned at this news, for he had never guessed such a thing. The other demon made several more strokes with his brush, and then continued, "I have some skill in the arcane arts, to be sure, but I am hardly a master of divination. This is merely a convenient guise. I have served the Emperor for some time now, and it is my duty to be watchful for the things that may threaten his life or his rule. For instance, the attempt that your former lord had made."
All at once the rokurokubi knew, and the understanding of why the seal no longer carried power was almost too much. He looked down and said nothing for a long time, and the onmyouji continued calmly writing.
Finally the rokurokubi lifted his head and spoke again. "I know this does not change a thing, but I humbly wish for you, and for the Emperor, to know that the family I served never intended to harbour such designs. Such tragedies befell the family, and one terrible thing led to another, and in the end, when my lord could not do anything, he could not accept it. He could not reconcile the incompatibility between his personal wishes and the greater reality. It was my failing that I was not able to stop it."
The false onmyouji only nodded calmly and replied: "This is a story common to many humans. Yet the end result is the same, and it cost him and his household their lives. In this, it was fortunate that he did not consider you a member of his household."
The words of the false onmyouji stirred the rokurokubi, and he bit his tongue to hold back his words, and tasted his own blood.
"I am also quite doubtful," said the false omyouji, "that you could have stopped such a thing, though I am sure you tried. Humans are most persistent."
The sympathy in the false onmyouji's words surprised the rokurokubi. But he ignored it and said, "And what will you do with me now? Surely you know I was the one directly involved in the theft of the mirror, and the activities against the Emperor?"
The false onmyouji set down his brush, and rose from his desk. Walking over to the rokurokubi, he took hold of the magatama around the other demon's neck, and said: "Of course. But I also know that you had acted against your will. I do not see a purpose in punishing you further. And aside from that, I believe you would be amenable to a request I have."
The rokurokubi leaned away slightly so that the magatama slipped out of the false onmyouji's fingers, and he asked, "And what would your request be?"
"I am concerned," said the false onmyouji, "that the Emperor may be tempted to use the mirror. He is, after all, only human. As you have seen it is immensely easy for humans to be thus led. You may imagine what has befallen the family you served, taken to the scale of the Emperor and the kingdom he rules."
The rokurokubi imagined this, and inwardly shivered at the thought. The false onmyouji continued:
"I would like you to take the mirror to a place far away. I cannot easily leave the palace and do the thing I am asking of you in my present circumstances without arousing suspicion. And in exchange for that I will do nothing as you leave, and I will tell the Emperor only that the threat to his rule has been taken care of, and the mirror has been destroyed."
The rokurokubi hesitated, and said, "How do I know that you speak the truth?"
The false onmyouji only shrugged. "You do not, but I will tell you another truth. It is for a selfish reason that I make this request. I bear no particular loyalty to the Emperor. It is only that I have come to grow fond of this place that I would rather not see anything happen to it to change what is constant, and his rule is one of those constants. This presents a convenient opportunity."
The rokurokubi was taken aback by this honesty. After a moment, he replied, almost angrily: "Did you foresee that all of this would happen when you told me about the mirror?"
At this question, the false onmyouji looked equally taken aback, and replied, "No. As I have said, I have no skill in the art of divination. Of the parties present in this room, perhaps the only one who can do anything of the sort is Yata no Kagami, and even that is only a dream it has little control over. Nor do I aspire to that type of skill. If a good thing is to happen, it will happen nonetheless. If a bad thing is to happen, I do not wish to have it hang over my head."
The rokurokubi found that he both believed and agreed with the other demon. And then he said, "How do you know that I will not use the mirror? Or that I care enough for my life to complete this task that you request?"
The false onmyouji replied, "I have observed you. I trust that you will not be as foolish as a human."
And the rokurokubi replied, "I have lived among humans for a very long time. I cannot guarantee that."
The false onmyouji smiled and replied, "That is a fair enough thing to say. Nevertheless, from my observations I believe you are of a fine enough mind to realize what is best for the situation at hand. I notice you have not rejected my proposal outright."
The rokurokubi was silent, and after a while the false onmyouji said, "I see you are still thinking about what has happened. I would recommend that you do not forget that it is now the past. Wasting time on the past wastes it twice. Once on the past, and once in the present. I will leave you here if you require more time to make your decision."
The rokurokubi pondered this matter briefly, and he said, "I will do this thing that you have requested."
The false onmyouji nodded, pleased, and gave the mirror wrapped in a white cloth to the rokurokubi. As the rokurokubi dressed and prepared to leave, the false onmyouji thought that it was a great pity, for he liked the looks and the wits of the other demon, and most of all his honour, and should have liked to make him his own retainer. But the circumstances were not suitable and, unlike a human, the false onmyouji was in mastery of himself in his emotions, and in accepting what things were and were not feasible.
Before they parted, the false onmyouji said only: "May I suggest that you not return to the house of your lord? It will be dangerous and unpleasant." These words were spoken in a manner that was almost kind.
The rokurokubi said nothing in reply, and left with the mirror hidden in his robes.
Now the rokurokubi, having left the castle, against the false onmyouji's advice first went to the house of his lord. No one recognized him, for the past few years he had covered his face and had not left the house except to do his young lord's bidding.
And indeed there was a most terrible sight that greeted him. He saw that the entire estate had been burned to the ground, the fields were black with ash, and there were bodies throughout the ruins, corpses that had been run through with swords and left untouched by all except for the wild birds and beasts. And the rokurokubi did not weep, for all that had left him.
He waited until it was dark, and did his best to take care of the remains he found. He gave them the appropriate rites as best he could, and buried them close to where he remembered the bodies of his departed lord and lady having been interred.
After doing this, the rokurokubi wished to destroy the mirror, but however he tried to smash it, the polished metal would neither warp nor dent. It only left his weapons broken and his hands bloodied. He struck the mirror 99 times. As he was about to strike it for the hundredth time, the mirror spoke to him.
I am sorry, said Yata no Kagami.
The rokurokubi, startled, halted his action at these words.
I am sorry at what has taken place, said the mirror. I have seen it happen many times, and each time it brings me grief. It was the young lord's desire above all else, and that desire consumed him. He did not even need me to be a part of it.
The rokurokubi was amazed, not only by the mirror's speech but by the honesty and sadness that rang through its every word. He looked straight into the centre of the mirror at that moment. And there the rokurokubi saw what he most desired in the entire world: an image of the human lord and his lady, youthful and healthy and well, with the human lord's grown son, and the entire household, happy in a way they could never have been when they were alive.
And then he heard the mirror's voice in his mind. Is this the thing you most desire? Yata no Kagami asked.
The rokurokubi very nearly said yes, for he was thinking, If I could trade my life and my future prospects for that of my lord and his family I would gladly do so. But then he remembered himself and he said, "What is the cost of having the thing I most desire? Is it my life?"
And the mirror replied, For each life, I must take at least one other in exchange. Your single life is hardly enough, even as a demon.
The rokurokubi was still highly tempted, for he thought, My life, and the lives of those who brought upon this ruin, that would be enough to ensure the happiness of the family that I served.
And then the mirror said: And the thing you most desire is not only a future, but a drawing deep into a past that never existed. So there are additional lives I must take, or your greatest desire will have an incomplete fashioning, perverting the perfection of the image you are seeking.
And at those the words the rokurokubi remembered himself completely, and he came to his truest senses, and his mind and his heart were both at a great loss. For try as he might, he could not find a single person to honestly blame for everything that had happened. He could not blame the Emperor for ordering the death of his young lord, for the power that the man had sought was obscene. He could not blame the Emperor's loyal men for the deaths they had caused, for they had only been following orders. Nor could he blame his young lord for seeking that power, for his obsession had been driven by his wish to bring the household to a glory and prosperity that would honour his father. Neither could he blame his lord for his neglect of raising his son, nor his lady for dying. Perhaps he should simply blame himself for ever coming into this family, as it was his own knowledge and skills that had made this all possible.
And he thought of his lord, and of what his lord was like in their happiest moments, and the thought that he had even considered taking more innocent lives in his lord's name repulsed him.
It seemed to him then that all meaning had ended, and he would follow his young lord and the entire household into death. He sat down and made to draw his sword.
And the mirror spoke to him again.
You are not human, Yata no Kagami reminded him. You have no reason to follow human-made obligations.
The rokurokubi drew his sword and replied, "I swore my loyalty to my lord and his family. I have no reason not to follow a human-made obligation. In any case, I do not see why you would have any particular interest, seeing as you have already enjoyed more than your fill of human lives. A demon one should make no difference to you."
And the mirror replied, Death, death, I grow weary of my existence resulting only in deaths, and my surface grows ever blacker with the associations humans have made with me. Should I be able to stop a single death, that would be enough. You swore to serve your lord and his family, and you have done so. The seal around your neck no longer carries power, for your duty has been fulfilled.
The rokurokubi said nothing, for though he knew the mirror's words were true, all he felt was emptiness.
The mirror, which had taken that time to wander the demon's mind and memories, said: Both your lady and your lord gifted you with another request before they passed away. I believe it has been neglected. Perhaps you should seek to fulfill that duty instead.
And the mirror touched his mind, and the rokurokubi remembered the words they had said about living happily. And the memory of them filled his chest with a feeling that was like warmth, and then a burning pain that was worse than anything the magatama had ever given him, and in its wake after he could no longer feel it, there was only a weary sadness.
And he thought, I do not know what will make me happy.
And the mirror said, Perhaps you will find another worthy lord in need of you to serve. How will you find him, if you do not look?
Realizing these words also contained truth, the rokurokubi put away his sword.
He said to the mirror, "I cannot find it in my heart to thank you, for the role you have played. But is there a thing I may do for you, for what you have given me?"
And the mirror replied, Sleep. I should like to sleep, and rest undisturbed.
The rokurokubi looked directly into the centre of the mirror, and as he saw an image beginning to form again, he said: "Perhaps you should not so readily alight your surface, nor speak so candidly of what exchange you are able to make. If you have no obligation to do so, you may well make your abilities more difficult to discern, and determine your own conditions to be followed."
After a moment of silence, the mirror replied: There is truth in what you say. I will give it deep consideration, and create my own conditions. And the surface of the mirror darkened and stilled.
And so the rokurokubi gently wrapped the mirror back in the white cloth, and put on rough clothing to disguise himself from his associations with the human court and the family he had served. He travelled far away to a temple of renown.
The monks received him warmly, for though they knew not who he was, and did not know that he was a demon, they recognized in the way he carried himself - trained, of course, by the human lord - that he clearly had a background of noble breeding.
"This is a mirror most dark, cursed by the gods," he explained to the highest-ranking priest. "It cannot be destroyed by any normal means you can contrive. You must take the greatest of care with it. Hide it deeply and never permit anyone to look upon its face."
Once he had been assured that the mirror was covered with seals, and buried deep in the hold of the temple's keep, then the rokurokubi left.
He knew not where he was going nor what he would be doing. He knew only that he wished to find another worthy lord, and render his service for as long as he could.
He did not know that he would be able to find one whom he could serve for five hundred years. And that this tale would become one very much worth telling in the time to come.
Author's notes: Please assume Hokushin gets involved in other historical shenanigans before wandering into his encounter with Raizen at the beginning of the North Bound fancomic. Meanwhile probably some idiot at some point stumbles upon the Mirror of Darkness when raiding and burning the temple which leads to another chain of terrible events and Enma Daioh is like "geez you people are hopeless" and finally takes it away for the Reikai's treasury. And meanwhile Kirin, uh, I dunno, falls into a hole when the barrier goes up and lands in the demon world, where he ends up joining Mukuro's army. And then we proceed into the timeframe of Yu Yu Hakusho…! ...And maybe this is all why Kurama had to jump through hurdles to figure out how to get the mirror to do its thing. Run around for three days figuring out what the exchange rate is, wait for a full moon… red tape is hard for everybody.
Some very observant person out there may read this and say "Hokushin says the mirror is indestructible, but Yusuke broke it with his spirit gun!" You're right... and while the spirit gun could be classified as not normal means, Yusuke wasn't that powerful then either. But, I realized as I was writing this that the Mirror of Darkness would have to have been modified over the years because ancient mirrors were metal, not glass. So, my theory here is that the glass was a modernish era covering and that's all Yusuke broke, kinda like cracking your glass screen protector and everything else is fine lol. Also this makes some of the minor lines in my other stories not make much sense anymore but we'll just have to live with that because this is only a fanfic anyways.
I hope my attempts with this style of writing weren't too tedious. I reread a lot of Tale of Genji to try to get into the spirit of things. By convention people are rarely addressed by actual names and instead described by such things as titles and other associations (one of the chief confusions when reading "accurate" translations of Tale of Genji, since people's identifiers change as their locations or titles change). I tried to employ that idea here, and it was actually very convenient because it felt jarring to come up with new names for Hokushin and Kirin and all the other characters. Hopefully any confusion has been kept to a minimum.
Compared to Genji Monogatari this story has less talking about how beautiful everyone is, and certainly far less poetry being passed back and forth on scented paper, but I did try to incorporate or at least give a nod to both of those things. Exchanging poetry in particular was a very common activity that formed an elaborate social ritual, often within the context of courtship, where both men and women were judged intensely on how good they were at it. (Basically you were super hot and everyone wanted to promote you or get into your pants if you wrote great poetry in really nice handwriting and had kickass skills at matching fancy stationery. Now look at Hokushin and tell me that is not a man who would be really good at those things. But I digress.) The main reason some of these random things are in here is so that I can hopefully expand on them in North Bound eventually.
Though cremation is standard in Japan today, ancient Japan (as "late" as the Heian period) did bury their dead. Aristocrats' graves were usually unmarked.
The unicorn robe is a super obvious reference to Kirin's name. I used the imperfect translation "unicorn" in a lame attempt at being slightly less super obvious.
Magatama are those ancient comma-like beads that were used for decorative, religious and ceremonial purposes. They're usually hung more vertically than the one illustrated in this fic, and that's because I drew it based on Hokushin's actual character design. Obviously I made this story all up, but he does have a magatama-like necklace clearly around his neck in both the manga and the anime when he opens his robes to show Yusuke the energy limiter. I doubt Togashi had any other intentions with it other than last minute detailing, but random little things like this are a perfect springboard for… well, stuff like this fic.
Please pardon any and all historical inaccuracies in the writing or the art. ^^;
The medium used for the illustrations is pencil, fountain pen (with Paper Plume Sepia ink), and waterbrush. I didn't really put a lot of planning into the parts that were illustrated until I realized it was getting really squished in places, so apologies that the images aren't spaced out better. Also apologies that I can't embed images into the story on this site and have to direct you elsewhere m(_;)m